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State plans deer transplant to Kachemak Bay; Fish & Game details release and monitoring
Summary
A state parks staffer told the advisory board the governor directed a deer transplant to Kachemak Bay for food-security reasons; Fish & Game plans to release and collar up to 24 deer this fall and will perform disease testing and follow-up monitoring.
State parks staff told the Kachemak Bay advisory board that the governor has directed a transplant of deer to Kachemak Bay and described Fish & Game’s planned logistics and monitoring.
Jason said the transplant is a governor-driven initiative and that Fish & Game’s role is to implement the releases in the best available manner. He described a plan to release as many as 24 animals on the outer coast this fall, collar each animal and perform disease testing on captured individuals: “We hope to get as many as 24 animals put out there this fall … everything’s gonna have a collar on it. We were gonna track every animal; we’re doing disease testing on the ones that we captured,” he told the board.
Staff said the release is intended by the governor to address food-security concerns and to provide a future harvest resource; staff pointed to historical precedent for in-state transplants dating back to 1916 and cautioned that population establishment typically takes decades. Jason said the program will aim for a sex ratio of roughly one buck for every five does and that site selection favors the outer coast to maximize survival prospects.
Board members asked about disease risk, long-term habitat impacts and whether the advisory committee or the public had adequate opportunity to influence the decision. Jason said the board and advisory committees were consulted during the previous board cycle and that Fish & Game will monitor survival, movement and health and report back when data are available.
No formal vote or policy change on the transplant was taken by the advisory board during the meeting; staff said release timing will be late September into October and that the board should expect a monitoring update after the initial releases.
